Keep Her Secrets
by polkadot-skies
Summary: Ellie, Liz's younger sister, and her friends are back for their junior year at Gallagher Academy! This year, the headmistress selects them to be recruited on a team for elite young spies. Little do they know that their Blackthorne friends are being recruited too... Lots of drama and adventure, please read : Sequel to Confessions of a Teenage Spy.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, remember us? :) We're back for the sequel, and we're so excited! I hope you guys still remember this story! .**

**Sorry if the chapter seems a little short and not clear; we'll clarify that in the next chapter. We just wanted to get this chapter out asap. Sorry for the long wait! Please read and review! :)**

In the Gallagher Academy, contraband things, are, well, seriously contraband. We've all seen those busted wine coolers and pot, but to be honest: it's way more than just getting caught. But you know that already since you're reading this, don't you?

Next to me, Erika sighed for the third time that hour as she stretched across my large arsenal of stuffed animals.

"What is up with you," I scowled, my hand easily moving across a page of written Chinese. "Because I think no one in this room has Mother Nature's calling at the moment."

She rolled her eyes, sitting upright on the bed. "I've been trying to message Tyler for the last 24 hours, and he's just been ignoring me!"

Liz, after our begging and whining last year, managed to set up an unhackable network for us to use and contact people, ahem, boys.

Unfortunately, such things are not allowed at Gallagher (not that we care) so we have to be extremely careful. Especially with Madame Dabney.

"Maybe he's in that hating cycle again? You guys have the weirdest relationship ever."

Erika looked at me dubiously. "Uh, no, Tyler doesn't do the silence thing. Ever. He's usually throwing stuff and insults and horrible nicknames, remember? And for the record, what about you and Jake?"

I pretended to concentrated on my Chinese homework, which was already done. Not that she had to know. And yes, Junior-level Chinese was much more harder than seventh grade. Practically everything is.

"There is nothing with me and Jake, Erika. We're just friends."

"Right, because friends act so boyfriend-girlfriend together. Are you seriously friendzoning him?"

"First of all, there are no zones. There's just friends, oka-"

Cam and Remy poke their head into our room, and I fall silent.

"Who is just friends?" Remy smirked.

"Oh shut up," I grumbled. "What are you guys doing here anyways?"

"Headmistress," she commented easily, while Cam nodded.

I warily glanced at my roommates, who looked none too innocent. "What did you guys do?"

Cam widened her eyes, a smile on her lips while Erika blinked, acting confused. "Do? Nothing, Ellie. Well, I mean," and here she smiled lethally, and I began to think of the possible prospects. "Just some, you know, contraband. That's all."

* * *

"Girls," the headmistress commented, her smooth hands that know how to make a man scream for his life, were folded delicately on her desk.

"Hello, Headmistress," we droned, like the good Gallagher drones we are.

A thin smile crept up her face. "Good morning. I apologize for the last minute call, but..."

She trailed off, as Erika hastily continued with a, "It's all good, Headmistress. We didn't have class, anyways. So what's up?"

Remy cringed at Erika's lack of polite respect to her elders, while Cam's eyes crinkled with humor.

The headmistress smiled at Erika, her head tilted to the side. "Why, thank you, Erika. And how is Tyler doing?"

Oh. Shit.

Remy, who recovered from the shock in just a second, acted confused as she half-smiled at the Headmistress.

Maybe it was her skill as a natural double agent, but her lies were smooth and clean. "God, Erika, you didn't tell me you were with Tyler!" She giggled, acting like a total girl.

Erika managed a weak smile, and I was about to bring up the next lie, but the Headmistress interrupted us.

"Girls, there's no need to lie. I already know," she airily smiled.

Double shit.

* * *

So I should have been reassured when she didn't immediately expel us or shoot us down with a machine gun. But I wasn't.

Okay, maybe not enough credit is given for our headmistress, but really, she's the headmistress of a female spy academy with enough spy missions under her belt to be able to have millions of secret stories she can never tell, and extremely gorgeous.

And she's the mother of Cameron Morgan, the chameleon.

"It's very good tea, this is," Remy commented awkwardly as we sipped tea in the supposed parlor, which was really the planning room. The headmistress had, miraculously, managed to brew us cups of tea. The rumor was that despite her perfect aura that she had, her cooking skills were pretty terrible.

"Thank you," she replied graciously. "I got them from a friend who was in England, for, erm, some holiday."

We all knew and used that excuse too often to question it.

There was a silence as we all quietly sat there like English socialite ladies, sipping tea with the Queen. Bex would be proud.

"So, girls, you must be wondering why I called you here, right?"

Cam nodded as her eyes were trained directly onto the Headmistress.

Seeing this, she laughed. "It's not like you are going to be expelled or anything. In fact, you'll probably get some extra credit."

Extra credit? I thought, but someone got to it first.

"But what about that network that Liz set up?" Erika blurted out, sitting on the edge of her seat.

I whacked her on the arm, mentally and physically glaring at her to stop it before something happens.

"Ah, about that, oh, Eleanor, don't look so worried. I suppose we could use it for our operation instead. Such a waste of good computer skills."

"Operation?" Remy whispered, her eyes wide.

The headmistress daintily plucked out a sugar cookie from the glass jar on the table in front of them, ignoring Remy.

* * *

We step out of the van cautiously, shaking the last of the car ride sleepiness as we can. I'm anxious thinking of the top young spies that I'll have to trust with my life soon, but I remind myself that I'll have Erika and Cam and Remy, and what great CoveOps extra credit this would be. Deep breaths, Ellie.

The van stops on a secluded gravel path skirting the woods. I expect to see some stainless-steel door with a huge keypad or some secret trap door hidden behind big boulders, but all I could see is a beautiful picture-esque cabin bordering a lake. Honestly, it looked like someone's vacation home.

I didn't imagine a CIA-certified safe house could be so... so open.

I look at Abby uncertainly, an unspoken question on my face. Is this for real? Is this it?

Oh yeah, she seemed to smile, better believe it, kid.

"It's.. beautiful," Erika said in awe, almost disbelieving. "Do we really get to stay here?"

"For the while being," Abby replied, not wasting a minute and already walking toward the cabin.

I watch her sure steps and I squint. At first I think that her zigzag pattern is because she's avoiding the mud pies form the last rainfall, but I see it glint in the sunlight, almost invisible.

A trip wire.

"Guys," I hiss, "wires."

Remy cocks her head and studies the lawn. "You're right, Ellie," She says. "How'd you know?"

I shrug, and start shadowing the steps Abby took, who was already inside.

One by one, we carefully make it across the lawn in one piece, more or less. If not for Cam and Remy's sharp eye to detail and Erika's way of voicing them out, ("Oh, my god! Ellie don't step there! Yeah, right there. By your left foot, no, your other left foot! Well, it was my left, anyway!) I probably would've found out exactly what these wires did.

When we reach the front door, Abby pulls it open to us with a smile.

"Good job, girls. You pass."

I was surprised. I didn't expect having a test this early. What if we had failed? Would we be sent back to Gallagher?

She let us through the door and we enter cautiously. From the trip wires on the lawn, what were we to expect next? Booby traps?

Abby is quiet until our eyes rake the room, a typical living room/kitchen setup.

Her face is suddenly neutral, her smile faded.

"Girls, the rest of your team is waiting for you in the next room. Get to know each other well. Your other mentor and I will join you tomorrow and discuss the mission onhand."

Without another word, she slips through the door and vanishes.

"Well girls," Erika said, breaking the silence, "I guess there's only one thing to do."

She saunters up to the door and practically flings it open.

And nothing, not even five years of spy school, could stop me from gaping at who stood on the other side.

Tyler Hale and Aiden Parks were lounging around the living room as if it were their own, and laughing at a joke someone just told. My eyes trailed next to them, and saw none other than Jake Adams laughing along with them, sitting very close to a pretty girl I had never seen before.

I suddenly felt sick.

* * *

I want to say she looked like me, but I would be lying. Sure, she had a slight build like me and blonde hair and blue eyes, but she was so different from me, like a pigeon and a peacock.

Her eyes were a darker blue than mine, the kind made you want to stare at them all day. Her blonde hair wasn't as dirty brown as mine, and hers had a golden quality to it. Even though she was about as tall as me, her body was built like a ballerina's, all length and grace. Her face had a certain beauty that most girls would kill for.

All the hours I spent prepping and encouraging myself that I was good enough for this, how ready, my self esteem deflated and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Hey guys," Jake greeted easily, rising out of his seat as if this was natural and we did this everyday. I carefully rearranged my face into a blank smile that I usually reserved for strangers.

"Ellie," He grinned, "Erika, Cam, and..." He trailed off looked at our latest addition.

"Remy." She finished for him, in a strong, clear voice. I feel baffled. This wasn't the Jake I remembered. Four years was barely anything in a spy's memory. How could he have forgotten Remy's name so easily?

"Right," His eyes lit up in recognition, "You're the-"

I watched as Remy's face harden slightly.

"girl who challenged Jake to a sandwich eating contest at seventh grade finals, right?"

He transitioned easily, but I have a feeling that he was going to say something else.

"Yeah," Remy said with a tight smile.

"ELLIE!" Tyler messes up my hair, "How has my favorite little sister been?"

I laugh and so does everyone else. "Hey Tyler, how much have you grown since seventh grade? Like four feet?" He was, like Jake and Aiden, now towering over us girls. "At least you voice doesn't crack as much." I quipped.

He pouts playfully and grins. How is it that I'm more comfortable with Tyler, than Jake who I've spent numerous life-death situations with?

After a pregnant pause, Aiden smiles weakly and pulls each of us in a hug.

"Oh right," He says, slapping his forehead, "God, Madame Dabney would murder me. Guys, this is Lena, Lena- Ellie, Cam, Erika and Remy."

"Hello." Lena smiles a bright smile and shakes all of our hands. It takes all of my willpower not to stare.

"So, um, we'll go put our stuff in our room? If that's okay?" Erika, who has been uncharacteristically quiet this whole time speaks up.

Jake looks at me for a minute longer than necessary. "Sure, the only other bedroom is down the hall. But don't unpack- Abby says that we might not stay long."

"Sure thing," Erika calls over her shoulder, regaining a little of her swagger back.

* * *

Once we reach the only other bedroom, we drop our bags and make a beeline for the beds almost in synchronization.

"What the heck!" Erika shrieks. "'Get to know them'? Way to drop the bomb on us, Abby!"

"Shh!" Cam claps a hand over Erika's motormouth, "They could hear!"

"I don't care!" Erika responds, but gets quieter, "Why can't they stay the doofuses they were in seventh grade?"

"I know right," I chuckle, "It's like their mouths are moving, but some middle-aged man is lip-dubbing their words."

Remy snorts with laughter and high fives me over Erika's head.

"Guys, this is a serious matter! What if they all have girlfriends now? Oh, my god! That must be it! I mean, how could I think that just because... Is that why Tyler hasn't been responding-"

It's Remy that claps a hand over Erika's mouth this time, effectively cutting off the endless flow of words. "Erika. God. Just shut up for a minute, okay?"

Erika, under the submission of the assassin's hand over her mouth, nods obediently.

"Maybe she's not that far off..." I trail, avoiding my friends' eyes.

"You're talking about Lena and Jake, aren't you?" Erika says, squirming under Remy's gaze, "Because, Ellie, I'm pretty sure there's nothing going on. You and Jake are like, soul mates. Everything is in your head; It's an ugly little monster called jealousy."

"What?" I gasp in indignation, "I'm not jealous!"

"Exhibit A," declares our resident sociology expert, "Denial."

"What? No, I'm not! It's.. just.. argh." Yes, I am quite masterful with the words.

Was I, though? Lena, the only girl that could hold a torch to Erika Hart, prettiest girl in our grade with the guy I've liked since seventh grade?

Hm...

Reversing roles, I am the one ending up getting consoled.

"It's okay, Ellie. You'll get over it and realize that you have nothing to worry about." Erika takes my hand comfortingly and smiles, "It'll be fine, I promise."

* * *

Later that night I lay still in my bed, my mind still turned on alert. I try to match my breathing with my roommates', but there's something that keeps me on edge, something that wants me to stay awake.

I roll over quietly and look at Lena, who is sleeping across the room from me with her back turned to me. I feel a sad pang in my chest and remember what Erika had called it today. Jealousy.

What was she really to Jake? And how does she know the Blackthorne boys?

I close my stinging eyes from trying to strain them in the dark. While my eyes were closed, I hear a strange, soft tapping on the walls. The cabin walls are thin, but its so soft that I don't think I would be able to hear it asleep. Many taps, one after another with pauses in between.

I hitch my breath, trying to hear it better. Is it morse code? But then I think, "Who the heck would be trying to talk to someone through morse code at this hour?" Doubtful. And I don't think it's rats, either. Mr. Solomon might leave this cabin vacant for frequent periods, but I don't think he would allow rodents free to roam. I mean, spies must hire exterminators too, right?

And a security breach is out of the question.

I listen as it keeps on going, and I suddenly remember.

* * *

_"Ellie," Jake whines on day at lunch. He extends one side of his earbuds to me. "Just listen for a second, okay?"_

_"What?" I sigh, accepting it and putting it in my ear._

_"It will, like, change your entire life. This song is like musical poetry, I swear."_

_It takes a second or two for me to recognize it, a catchy song that has been monopolizing radio stations._

_"What is this?" I laugh, "I was expecting some anthem or slow, inspiring song. Not a pop song with a 'La, La, La' chorus."_

_He puts a hand over his heart, mock- wounded. "Ellie, you take that back! 'You Belong With Me' by Taylor Swift is a beautiful, heartfelt song!"_

_I just roll my eyes as Erika, balancing a full tray, approaches our table._

_Jake taps on the lunch table, insistently as she plops down next to me._

_"What? Practicing Morse Code or something?" she asks Jake._

_"It's our song!" Jake grins._

_Erika makes a funny face. "Loose mice in the attic?"_

_More importantly, "We have a song?" I snort._

_"Funny, Hart." He sticks his tongue out and ignores me. "For your information, that was 'You Belong With Me'"._

_"By Taylor Swift?" she asks._

_"Yep. Jealous?" He grins cockily._

_"Oh, yeah," She says, "definitely. So jealous." Heavy sarcasm._

_"Just you wait, Ellie." He turns to me, "This song will save our lives one day. Like, say its a code. What if we can't talk and we need to? Bam! Instant code."_

_I nod absently, just watching the excitement light up his eyes._

_Erika laughs out loud, definitely amused. "Ellie, I would be paying more attention if I were you. You fate is in the hands of Jake, literally."_

_Jake puts his palms out in a defensive gesture._

_"Hey, I'm still working out the kinks. Ellie, pass the ketchup?"_

* * *

I listen for a while longer and I realize that's it. I bite on my knuckle to keep from laughing and waking up the others. Silently, I slip from my bed and glide across the floor and out the door without a sound like I was taught to do.

At the other end of the house, a light was on in the kitchen.

"Hey." Jake greets me quietly, with his hands around a cup of water. His voice is more deeper than I remembered. Wordlessly, I slip onto a barstool on the kitchen counter, but he remains standing.

"Hey." I say.

He doesn't say anything after and just looks at me. I squelch the urge to squirm under his gaze.

"You look different."

"So do you," I smile tentatively.

"You remember?" I don't have to look at him to know that he's grinning.

"Of course I remember."

He runs a hand through his messy hair and looks very tired.

"That was a long time ago." He says.

"Not that long," I say, faintly trying to have my double meaning come across.

"I guess not."

After a pregnant pause, he sighs in frustration. "I hate this."

After seeing my eyes widen, he amends quickly, "No, not you! I mean, this weirdness, this awkwardness. I wish we could just go back to the way things were in seventh grade. Can we... rewind?"

"Yeah," I smile, "I'd like that."

He grins, but it fades slightly when I continue, "But, then you'd be the annoying jerk I hated in the beginning for taking our seats in CoveOps."

We both laugh, remembering that incident.

"Maybe I should take yours now, too," He smiles deviously, and steps closer as if he'd shove me off.

"Oh, no," I say, my voice getting louder, "Do and you die. I'll sic Erika on you, I swear, I'll- JAKE!"

He lunges grabs me around the middle playfully, like a move we learned in P&E. Except this time, no one was pinned to the ground.

"Okay, okay," I laugh. "You-"

"Oh."

Both our heads whip to the doorway and we freeze. She leans on the doorframe, her arms wrapped around her.

Lena.

"Oh- I didn't, I mean- Sorry! I didn't think I was... am I interrupting something?" Her porcelain forehead creased in worry.

"Oh, no," Jake cut in easily with a smile, "you're not interrupting anything. What's up?"

Well, ouch.

Score: Lena-1, Ellie- 0.

"I think I'll just go." I mumbled, pushing past them, "It's getting late anyway. Good night, Jake, ''Night, Lena."

I walked down the dark hallway back to the bedroom and I wondered how I let Lena eclipse me again. Feeling defeated, I involuntarily grit my teeth. _Maybe I haven't lost after all, _I thought_, maybe the game hasn't even started._


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Skip us. I know you're dying of the lack of chapters. Go on, we wouldn't want you all to die :) but hope you enjoy this, seriously now, we all know you've waiting a while. awesome action coming up in the next chappie! **

* * *

"So girls, did you sleep well last night?" Abby asked calmly, interlacing her fingers on the table in front of her. We all sat on the old round dining table in the corner of the kitchen, more or less. In the heat of battle for the last chair, Tyler wound up on the floor by Erika's meticulously manicured feet.

"And guys," Tyler added in protest, his voice slightly audible from the floor.

With mumbled versions of "uh, huh," or "yeah, sure," Abby quickly cut to the chase.

"Do you know why you're here?"

A quiet chorus of "umm..." filled the air as all of our eyes dropped and our hands suddenly found the tablecloth to be the most interesting thing in the world.

"To kick butt," Tyler's distinct bone-headed comment sailed through the air like a hand grenade exploding on impact.

Us juniors laughed nervously to fill the awkward silence, and so did - to our surprise - Mr. Solomon. Until he did, I had forgotten he was there, sitting dutifully next to Abby. I smiled ruefully as I thought about missing Junior-level CoveOps, and descending a level lower in the sublevels.

"Abby," Erika said, cutting smoothly over Tyler, "the headmistress didn't say anything about the team to us, but I don't know about Blackthorne."

Abby pursed her lips for a minute, before starting again, "The point of you guys being together is to form an elite team of young spies. This much you know, right?" She paused to survey our nodding heads.

"Well call it a sort-of internship, if you will. You will operate as a whole team and cooperate to perform tasks that . We, your mentors, give you the assignment and tools, and you get it done. Simple."

She handed out an unblemished manila folder to each person, and kept talking as our eager hands flipped open the cover.

"Officially, you're known as Project Y." She said, and I flipped through the pages. Inside were eight pages, all black-and-white photocopies of each member and their profile. I was slightly uncomfortable looking at the unfamiliar picture of me. Until now, I hadn't known that it existed.

"Woah, wait. Project Y? That sounds like we're a specimen or something. Aren't we supposed to, like, have a cool superspy name?" Jake grinned a smile that I had missed for a while, all daring and cocky and dangerous.

"Hear, hear!" Tyler grinned an identical smile.

Abby sighed, probably tired of being interrupted by the notorious duo already. "Okay, then, what do you want to be called?"

"Um... erm... I don't know!" Tyler blanked, "Team... Galla-thorne?"

We all stared at him. Cam and Remy shook their heads so fervently that I feared that their heads would fall off. Enough said.

"Dude," Jake groaned, "no. That's like... just no."

"Lame," Erika echoed.

"Okay, guys, what spectacular ideas do you guys have?" Tyler snarked back, his ego probably stung.

"Team... Insurgent?" I heard Lena's voice distinctly from the noise, like a glass ball thrown in the air, precious and captivating. As soon as the words left her lips, everyone swiveled to face her, eagerly giving her their attention.

"Dude, that's awesome." Jake grinned, holding his hand out for her to slap a high-five.

"I like it," Aiden smiled.

I hid my cringe behind a tight-lipped smile, the one I reserve for strangers. Not jealous, not jealous, not jealous...

"Okay, Team Insurgent." Abby spoke suddenly, as if she were trying to end this quickly. (Not that I blame her.) "Any objections? Speak now or forever hold your peace."

Absolute silence. I squirmed.

"Good, now let's get down to your mission."

Mr. Solomon, on cue, was starting to pass another round of manila folder out to everybody. (What was it with spies and folders, anyway?) I did notice, however, that everything was printed on real paper. Not the thin, filmy evapo-paper kind. Somehow, it just made the situation more real, and more permanent.

"Oh," Abby spoke up, suddenly remembering something. "If any of you are having second thoughts about being on this team, the door's closing soon. You won't get another chance."

For a tense moment no one moved, and it was as if everyone sucked in their breaths in synchronization. The only noise you could hear is of the crows in the trees outside, their shrieking echoing the air.

"I'll take that as no one is leaving?" Mr. Solomon asked, although the question was rhetorical.

"If you'll open your folders," Abby said, as our fingers quickly remembered how to move, "you mission statement is inside. As you all know, the terrorist group known as the Circle of Cavan has been underground for a number of years." I fought a slight shiver as memories popped up of their ringleader, Catherine Goode. However, her face wasn't the one printed on the document. It was a picture of a guy I've never seen before, and I quickly memorized his face. He was middle aged, looked like a guy you would find in the rougher places downtown, with patchy hair and a developing unibrow.

"You mission is to tail this unidentified subject and gain and identity. We have suspicions that he might have ties with a local sect of the Circle. Tomorrow, we'll drop you off in town where he has been seen a number of times. A warning though," she paused seriously, "this isn't an amateur exercise. If this man is who we think he is, and he suspects that you're tailing him, we might lose one of our only leads."

"So, basically, you want us to stalk Bozo the Clown and jack his wallet?" Tyler grinned. "Should be simple enough for a team of eight."

Mr. Solomon sighed only slightly audibly, and I could tell that even the great Solomon was getting tired of Tyler's sass.

"Tyler, shut up," Aiden hinted, not so subtly.

"If that's all," Abby said, "then we'll give you the rest of the day to... prepare." I'm sure I wasn't the only one to understand her meaning. It was like before you leave the house and you check your purse- memorized cover, tailing target, weapons, check.

"The van leaves at five am tomorrow, and it doesn't wait for anyone." Mr. Solomon said, as he and Abby rose to leave.

"Good luck!" Abby called over her shoulder as she closed the door.

For a long minute, none of us moved or said anything.

"Guess we better go prepare or something." Aiden rose awkwardly. "Hey, Cam, spar with me?" She smiled slightly and nodded, and followed him down the hall to the back door.

As we trickled out of the room in various degrees of silence, I found myself outside on the dock, looking over the mirror lake. I stopped abruptly, realizing that my consciousness has brought me here.

Swinging my legs over the water, I wondered what everyone else is the world was doing. Were the other juniors in CoveOps right now? Or P&E?

Somehow, all my thoughts started orbiting around the same person. Liz. Looking at the water I held my breath for a second, thinking I saw her reflection. I snorted. "Stupid, Ellie, Liz is probably halfway around the world saving people."

I absently started trailing my fingers over the water, thinking to myself. The last time I had seen Liz was last summer, where she visited our home in Alabama for a week because she was "in town for business." But I was sure she had wanted to visit me. Her job was demanding, but she was happy, as far as I could tell.

"Liz," I murmured to the water, "I'm going on my first real mission tomorrow. I think I'm nervous. Were you nervous too? I promise to not get kidnapped or shot this time." I chuckled quietly to myself. That was a pretty crazy year.

"I remember that." I heard a laugh behind me and jumped. I hadn't noticed Jake walk up behind me. Stupid, Ellie! How is he supposed to trust you on the team if you can't even hear someone sneaking up on you? I bit my lip and inwardly kicked myself as he sat on the dock beside me. I sneaked a sideways glance at him, but he was gazing out at the lake with a faraway glance.

"Are you really? Nervous?" He said after a long time.

"A little," I pursed my lips, "Aren't you?"

"Nah." He smiled, "We've done this sort of thing before, right? We're veterans, practically."

I smiled and remembered all the insane predicaments we got ourselves into when we were younger. I wished I could take some of his confidence and ease.

"We'll be fine, Ellie," He nodded, almost as if he were reassuring himself. "We got this."

I mirrored his smile, already more slightly calm. "I hope so, Jake." I whispered.

He reached over and placed a warm hand on top of mine. "We'll be fine."

Even after he left, I still felt the warmth of where his hand was, slightly warmer from the rest of my body. I looked at the lake for a long minute before starting to head back to the house.

"We got this," I whispered.

* * *

Circle of Cavan.

I took a deep breath, my hands moving quickly to strap myself up in some good old school gear: sheaths for some specialty weapons, thin weight plates invisible around my body.

I haven't heard of them in a while. The first couple of times I had demanded answers, everyone avoided me. Then I had gradually learned, through trial and error, that no one wanted me to feel the danger of being the Circle's target again.

Until now.

But why now? Sure, I was older, almost an adult. Was being older enough for me, for all of us, to take down the Circle?

"Hey, Ellie?" Remy popped her head in the doorway, making me pause in my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Abby says to get- Oh, nevermind. You already are." She grinned, glancing at my readiness for tomorrow's mission. Then her expression changed.

"Are you alright?"

I bit my lip, and then focused my face into a smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

She knew better than to doubt what I was saying, but I saw a sliver of it in her eyes as she reassuringly smiled back and left.

I sighed to myself, flipping my hair back into a high ponytail that Remy would approve of as I focused back onto concentrating my cover.

Tomorrow was the test for everything: getting the Circle down for eternity, but not only that. It was the final test to see whether we can all live in field as spies. And I knew that that was all we were aiming for; being a spy that can survive out on the field.

-  
"Um, I think this is some... biscotti? I'm not sure, actually. Oh, I found the peanut butter."

"Who carries biscotti when they don't even have bread?" I rolled my eyes, pickpocketing a packet of ketchup for future purposes. You never know.

"Well, biscotti is a type of bread, right?" Aiden asked, smiling. "Come on, the peanut butter still seems good."

We were midnight snacking in the kitchen, me sitting on the counter, my back arched as I grabbed for the jar of peanut butter. I nearly missed, losing my center balance as I squawked.

"Here you go, my lady," Aiden bowed, dramatically waggling his eyebrows. I resisted laughing out loud and instead huffed, pouting. "Thank you, Aiden. If only you were more considerate, yes?"

Greedily, I began scooping out the peanut butter with a spoon, licking it clean like a cat. Good old chunky peanut butter. It almost made me feel right back at home.

"Great, my hair," I groaned, trying to get the sticky substance out of the strands. "I should really cut it shorter."

"No, it looks nice long," Aiden commented softly, brushing his fingers through my hair. I froze in place, trying not to concentrate on how close he was to me. Or how his face was less than a handspan away. Or how his long, translucent lashes looked so pretty with his hazel eyes.

Stop it, Ellie, I thought, keeping my eyes down at the floor.

Aiden smiled nervously. "Sorry, I just have this hair fetish. It's still in the closet, so please don't mention it to anyone."

I burst out laughing, not even caring if anyone heard. "Really, Aiden? A hair fetish?"

"Well, not for everyone." he admitted slowly, putting his hand back down as he pushed himself up onto the counter, next to me. "Just for the special ones."

I swallowed hard, really trying not to be affected by what he was saying. But a cute, funny, sweet, guy complimenting you was too hard to resist. Especially with hazel eyes.

Sometimes, I wonder why Aiden doesn't have someone like how... like how Jake has Lena. He's not as striking as Jake, in the flash sequence way, but I would have warranted several girlfriends on his to do list already. He's sweet, adorable, romantic, funny, easy to talk to, all those perfect boyfriend aspects just all set in a perfect physical form as well.

"Aiden," I whispered, hugging my knees closer to my chest, snuggling into a balled form. "Do you remember seventh grade?"

He was silent, and I almost thought he wouldn't reply. But then, he licked his lips and whispered back. "I do."

It was strange, why we had to whisper our thoughts to each other. Why we couldn't shout them at each other across a field of grassy flowers. Why we had to be so close to each other and think every thought through and whisper the fragile moments of our lives as if they would break if we didn't treat them with care.

"I wonder," I rasped, taking a tiny lick of peanut butter as I continued. "Do you think we can stop them for real? Do you think we even stand a chance against that?"

Now, he looked at me, his eyes concentrated straight into mine. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't look away: All I could do was stay in place, eyes wide, as slowly, his arms came around me in a warm, gentle, soft hug.

"Shh, Ellie," he whispered in my ear, offering my head the nest at his neck that I gratefully took. Something in this gesture, that wanted absolutely nothing from me, broke the cover that I had so carefully crafted the moment the mission was called.

A tiny, miniscule whimper broke out, and after a beat, I figured it was mine. Me, a tough Gallagher Girl who beat too many foreign delegates than ought to be healthy, crying?

"I'm, I-" I blubbered, my eyes suddenly erupting with tears. Crying was always a surprise attack. It came and went, just like the guerilla forces we were learning from. "I'm so scared, Aiden. Wh-what if, everything fro-"

"Ellie, Ellie," smiled Aiden, nudging my chin up to his eyes, "you're not the girl I first met four years ago. You're not the girl the Circle underestimated four years ago and barely managed to get away with their lives. You're Ellie Sutton, one of the best people I know."  
I took that opportunity that night, preparing myself for the mission that was coming. I wasn't going to break down like that again. I won't endanger everyone else.

So I cried. I cried out everything, every single damn thing that made me sad, or worried. Everything about Jake, and Liz, and Remy, and Cam, and the Circle.

"Aiden," I sniffled, nearly out of tears. It takes awhile for a Gallagher girl to get rid of all the tears in her system. Credit to Aiden for bearing through it. "Thank you so much."

He opened his mouth to answer, right as his eyes darted to the doorway behind me. I tensed suddenly, my sense perked up for whatever or whoever, was watching us.

"Ellie?"

It was Jake.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: long time no see. hope you enjoy :) sorry it's been pretty late! **

**and a minor, but serious note in this chappie: there's so much abuse of women in this world, like how Ellie encounters from Weston. hopefully everyone's more aware about it now, if you weren't before. **

* * *

Automatically, I untangled myself from Aiden, ignoring the pained look on his face as I jumped off the counter.

"Jake, what are you doing here?" I demanded, my breathing a little harder than usual. Aiden, who now sat alone on the kitchen counter, lowered his eyes and sighed.

"I could ask the same of you," he replied, a little... uncertain? His eyes glimmered for a second before becoming low-lidded again. "Tomorrow- no, later today, we have that mission assigned. I don't want any mistakes. Not from you, Ellie."

I bit my lip, hard, slow anger rising up in me as I stepped forward towards Jake.

"You're not the team leader, Jake. You can't tell me what to do."

"But you're going to endanger the team like this, Ellie. I can't let you do that."

"I know how important this mission is, Jake! I was the one kidnapped in seventh grade! I am the one that knows the Circle needs to be gone!"

He took a breath, his eyes meeting mine as he said, "Well, you're not acting like you do."

I froze, the words hitting me right where it counts: my pride. The tears from before threatened to rush out again, even after all the crying that I had done.

Aiden, who had been previously silent, jumped off the counter and went up to Jake, pushing him away.

Jake looked astonished, not even trying to block the move.

"Shut up, Jake," Aiden hissed, surprising both me and Jake into silence. "You should be taking your advice. Bringing Lena here, stop denying it, Jake. We talked about it back at Blackthorne, now you have to take the responsibility."

My head churned with the sudden information. Wasn't Lena just here to get the Circle gone forever? But everyone here tonight has a direct, if not indirect, connection with the Circle. What was hers?

* * *

The next morning, we all piled in the van in grim silence. Not even Tyler dared to complain how early it was (the sun barely just barely rose). We all sobered into seriousness.

I found myself lodged between Erika and Lena, and for once I didn't even think to complain.

The seats were crowded and most of us had to share to accommodate all of us, but we were all used to that, weren't we? We all sat in a specific way- backs straight, poised at the edge of our seats. It was the only comfortable way to sit with the weapons strapped to us, and possibly the only way without getting impaled.

* * *

My eyes studiously avoided Jake's the whole ride. Although, at times I could feel his glance at me, so strong that I had to pick up a light conversation with Erika to distract myself from looking back. When that didn't work, I begin to shift through the information that Mr. Solomon had given us, chock full of our new identities and our target.

_Ellie, you're on a mission now. You can't let Jake get to your head. If you screw this up, he'll be right, wouldn't he?_

_Emma Hayes, senior at Highland High School..._

_Visiting Roseville with her friends on a weekend trip to visit her aunt..._

_Listed on the honor roll, volunteers at shelters and... and... _

_Stop, Ellie. This is stupid! You can't let some boy get to your head on a mission. _

I shook my head mentally. I was even losing arguments with myself. How pathetic.

I felt the van stop on a secluded street by the outskirts of Roseville. I mentally thought how sketchy it would be to see a dark unmarked van roll around the city at this hour, and I thanked my lucky stars that most civilians weren't up at early-o'clock in the morning. That would be a tricky web of lies to get entangled in.

Still in the van, it was just us eight and the driver. I used to be concerned about taking rides from strangers, even if they are issued by the CIA and know the secret word, but hey, you get used to anything after a while.

"Okay, guys, this isn't like the drills we did in middle school." Jake said, the natural leader, "We have a whole town to sweep today. At seven, most of town is up and running, so that gives us," he pauses to think, "about an hour and a half. I was thinking we could split up into pairs and take a part of the town. Once someone has eyeball, we'll know from comms. And then we'll just carry out the plan we discussed. Simple."

We all nodded, it was. But we also knew that something could always go wrong.

"So..." His eyes started scanning, "how are we splitting?"

I winced internally. I knew this would be awkward.

"I'll take Erika," Tyler voiced as Erika threw an almost unperceptible guilty glance at me. Traitor.

"Cam." Remy said quickly.

It was down to Lena, Aiden, Jake, and I, and I knew that no matter how we split this, someone would be unhappy.

"And I'll take Ellie." For a second I couldn't believe it, that maybe it was some sleep-deprived hallucination, but after a long pause I realized that the voice was really Jake's.

Aiden and Lena quietly gravitated towards each other, making the last pair complete.

"Ellie and I will take central, and everyone else can take a 30 meter distance from us."

We all agreed, and turned our comms units on.

* * *

Walking in the dark, I felt like I was tempting a fragile bridge with Jake. He was mad at me, wasn't he? Then why did he choose me? As much as I tried to squelch it, I couldn't help but feel a tiny, miniscule piece of hope floating inside of me.

I felt an eerie sense of de ja vu as we roamed the dark streets for a hideout to wait in. Just few years ago, we were doing the exact same thing. Funny how a few years can seem like lifetimes ago.

"South road," Jake said quietly, making me twist to face him. "there's a place we can hide out there." And I know I couldn't see in the dark very clearly, but I knew he wasn't even facing me.

I felt myself deflate as a sudden idea occurred to me.

_"Oh, you're so stupid Ellie!" A nasty little voice in my head said, "You thought he wanted to be with you? He just wanted you away from Aiden. He thinks you might screw up the mission."_

I grit my teeth in understanding. There was no way now I'd let that happen.

* * *

6:30.

My internal clock buzzed irritably as I heightened my sight, ignoring the anxiety that was growing in me.

It's been a good hour, and no one has seen the man we're looking for. Of course, the town isn't exactly small, but an usual mission like this would've been wrapped up ages ago.

"Any sign?" Jake mouths into the comms unit, and his voice comes crystal clear from my ear even though his lips aren't saying a word. I can tell that we're both anxious; that's the trouble with having the same partner for missions, you know their habits and they know yours.

"Negative," crackles in Remy, along with an affirmative, "Negorito, ladies and gents," from Tyler, and a ditto from Lena.

His mouth curls up into a tiny frown before it's gone just as that. But I still saw it.

"Jake," I whisper, my hand resting on his arm, ignoring the nervous beating of my heart as I looked at him. "Calm down. We still have time."

He raised his eyebrow at me, and a part of me yearned to brush my fingers through his soft hair, but I leaned back with a sigh and cocked my head.

"I know, Ellie, but, our very first mission. I wanted to go all out on thi-"

"Eyes."

We both widened our eyes, freezing a calm expression even as the information began pouring out from our ears.

It's Lena. "Errand St, black hoodie, red backpack, sunglasses. He's walking up to Diego." All this was sputtered out in a hurry, and I could no doubt feel the adrenaline flowing through all of us.

"I'll take it," Aiden's voice sounded as I inwardly winced.

"But you need backup," Jake protested, but I could already see what Aiden was seeing.

"We have no time. We all know that. If it's gotta be done, it's gotta be down now." I growled, turning into an alley and dashing at full speed, knowing that no eyes will be able to catch me.

Jake followed me with a disgruntled look, but he understood. "All right, Ellie and I will go, Lena, you stay put there. Feed us information, stay at a distance. Aiden, approach the suspect, do not apprehend, do you understand? Follow until you know it's too late; everyone else, you know what to do."

And we did.

The plan that had been set up weeks before by Abby and now perfected by us was beginning to take place. Even as the sky began to show light and people began to wake up, we were all running for our lives to catch the tail of the Circle.

"Approaching, approaching, tailing. There could be anything under that coat. Reflective surface," Lena barked out, even though I knew that Aiden would have already seen it.

Erika and Tyler were already sitting at an early open cafe, eyes on the only way in and out. Cam and Remy were backup, eyes on any other suspicious activity.

"Wait. There's some civs."

"How many?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Not too much, but they're making too much of a ruckus. I'll go and take care of it."

Jake cut in again, with Tyler agreeing. "No. If you go out you could be discovered. We need you," and those words made me swallow hard. "We need backup. Ellie and I are the closest. Aiden, stay down and low. Aid, you hear me?"

We all waited for a response, even as I knew Lena would begin surveillance again.

"I- I can't do this," his voice cracked, marking the disbelief on my face.

"Aiden! What are you saying?" I demanded.

"I just can't-"

"Erika and Tyler, coming in for backup. Shut up, Jake." Erika spoke brusquely, cutting off Jake. "Overruled. There's no way this is gonna come out to nothing. This includes all of us, all right?"

By now, the rest of the words were rushed out of my head as I finally reached the area. I easily spotted Lena sitting at a bench, drinking coffee. Our eyes met for a moment before both going to Aiden in undisputed communication.

"Suspect has stopped. Wait. Not blown, not blown. Do not act."

I could hear the strain in her voice. The ruckus of civs were getting to her, too. I grit my teeth. "I'll take care of the civs. Give me a moment."

I could hear arguing voices, but Remy's voice cut through them sharply with a, "Go, Ellie. We can get your back in a moment."

I smiled tightly, then blinked as I thought, Jake will kill me for this.

The civs were a group of blithering over prepped idiots, no doubt the exact male version of the supposed Gallagher girl. Rich, pampered sons of powerful fathers who could care less about what their 'gifted' boys did in the back alleys of town. They cornered a tall, rotund boy who looked positively scared. His brown wavy hair brushed over his eyes, and for a second, I thought I saw hazel eyes.

"So, Michael, how's your sister recently?" One of them sneered, pushing the poor boy back against the wall. I narrowed my eyes at them, hate simmering inside of me as I brushed back the ironed out waves in my hair and pouted my lips, enjoying for once, the power of makeup and hair.

"Hey, boys," I smiled, my hand on my hip. "How are y'all?"

Remy breathed into my ear, "Ooh, go Ellie. Get 'em with that accent, gurl."

The leader of the group stepped up, and I could feel his oily eyes slinking down my figure. I guess he approved, because he smugly smiled at me.

"Miss, you shouldn't be around this part of town, you know, it's very dangerous," he said, his coldly handsome face chilling my spine down.

"Really? Well, what about him?" I gestured at Michael, who cowered as I did. "Seems like he's the scared one."

One of the other boys laughed at that, and the leader silenced him with a glare.

"Well, you know, his sister just begged us for it, didn't she?" he grinned, nudging the other boys as Michael bit his lip in anger.

"His sister?" I asked innocently, taking a step closer to the boy.

In a world that seemed way too far away, I could hear the ongoing chaos happened. Buzzings of voices and noises echoed, and I clenched my fist to order to finish what I had to do.

"Jake, just shut up and go die in a hole," Erika ordered brusquely through the comms as I smiled mentally. "Your orders suck, and by the democracy given to us by Macey, I declare you peasant. Now, Lena and Aiden, switch. Remy will feed the info, Cam's doing background. Talk!"

"Subject is approaching the dead end. We have to do something soon. He'll know in seconds."

Not mine, not mine, I chanted. I had to get these guys out of the picture, and soon.

The boy lifted his brows, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "Hey, gorgeous, I'm Weston."

"Weston," I said, fluttering my lashes. I stuck my tongue out, and replied, "I'm Elizabeth."

"Like a true southern lady," he gloated. "Just to let you know, you're a hundred times better than that faggot's sister."

I laughed, keeping my internal anger to myself until the time was right. "God, Weston! You're so mean!"

He shrugged comically. "Well, it's the truth, right?" His arm snaked around my waist, and I curled into his side, nearly shuddering as a recent memory came to me, only to be pushed back.

"Why don't we, hm, go somewhere quieter?" I whispered in his ear, nestling into his shoulder.

_I freaking hate guys like these_, I thought, as I pursed my lips.

"You're a fast one, aren't you," He grinned, and I could feel his sticky fingers through my shirt.

I closed my eyes, thinking of happy things: anything but the feel of the overpowering command that men have on women in this modern world.

"Goddammit, get your hands _off _her!"

I watched in shock as Jake threw a high arcing kick right into the neck of Weston, even as my instincts jumped and I quickly slashed out a couple of perfect chops to the sides of the other prep guys.

I was heaving for breath from the sudden movements, but Jake was already onto his next target.

"I am going to punch you a hundred times, you son of a bitch."

He was heading straight towards Michael, and I jumped in his path; huffing like crazy. Okay, I was seriously angry. Everything from before seemed to bubble up inside of me. But now was not the time. Now was definitely not the time.

"Jake," I hissed, "stop. We have a mission. These civs don't even matter. Come on, let's go!" I tugged uselessly at his arm.

"Ellie, they were.. pawing at you! They were treating you like some.."

"Like a woman?" I asked, frustrated, even though I knew now was not the time, I couldn't help myself. "Believe it or not, Jake, that happens every single day. Women get treated like that everywhere. People think that women are weak, that they need protecting, but they don't. They don't, Jake. I don't."

There was an empty silence as Jake curled his hand into a fist, and glared at Michael, who flinched. "Fine." He said curtly, turning back and disappearing into the shadows of the buildings.

I walked to Michael, who pushed himself against a wall, clearly terrified. Inside of me, I felt a twinge of sympathy for him, as I knelt beside him and slowly, brought my fingers to his face.

"Shh," I whispered, my cold fingers burning the edge of his warm skin.

He stilled down, his eyes meeting me: hazel to blue.

"Tell your sister I said hi, will you?" I asked him, as I stood back up and followed the footsteps of Jake.

* * *

"What's going on?" I shout into my comms piece. I've missed minutes of the operation; a long time for missions.

There was a silence, as I feared the worst. Then, Remy's voice came on. "Stalled operation. Nothing's moving, I think our cover's blown."

"Has he done anything?" I ask.

I can see her shaking her head to this, replying with, "No. But it's too-"

"We still have a chance." I persisted. I wasn't going to leave the trail dry with a stupid mistake like that. "I'll go. Give me ten seconds. We can go with a Quicksand. Who's still left?"

"Lena, Jake, you, and Tyler."

By now, I had reached the scene, with utmost normality. There were more people around, but it was reasonable. I easily found the rest of my team in the crowd, and our target.

"Now," I whisper, and we began to move.

Quicksand was a basic, but very effective way to get a single target with multiple operatives. Hence the name, the target would be easily taken as long as we stayed within the plans.

I could see Tyler flanking the left, along with Lena tagging along for the back. Bunching my scarf up in my face, I shoved my hands in my pocket and casually walked into the crowd.

"Where?" I could hear Lena's voice asking, and I paused before replying. Where was a crucial part of the plan. There were a lot of options in a place like this; too many, in my opinion.

"The next turn, at the fountain." Jake suggests, and I agree.

We closed into the target, slowly infiltrating the crowd as I bustled right two people behind him.

Then, slowly, he turned his head back a trifle of a turn, and began to run.

We all registered it with Eyes, and began to run after him.

"Target running! Towards the clock tower!" I could hear Remy's voice, and thanked for the amount of high towers in this town.

I could see a young girl, nearly our age, bump into him and stumble to the ground. The target pushed her off easily, but it slowed him down a bit, giving us an advantage.

"Go!" I scream, never wanting to let this go. I wasn't going to let our lead get away from us. Then we heard it. The loud machinery that killed our ears as we stumbled behind buildings to avoid it.

"Wait." I hear Remy's voice, cautionary, telling me to stop when I wanted to continue. But I willed my legs to stop, gritting my teeth. The target disappeared behind a corner, and I cursed.

"Why?" I heard Lena growl, and for once I could understand her feelings, regardless of her motive.

"He's gone."

There was a moment of silence as we all digested this fact, then with Lena blurting out, "Why? How? What happened?"

"It was a heli, right off at the edge of town." She sounded tired, as she continued. "No doubt it was the Circle."

"Goddammit!" I hear Lena, nearly crying, as I stood there in shock.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note:**

**Hi guys! (If there are still readers here~) We're really sorry for the extremely long hiatus! It was really unfair for you guys because of our poor reliability and no notice. We will be updating in the future, but probably less often than before. (But definitely more often than months! ^^****) **

******Sorry for the slightly short chapter, but we have action-packed future ones planned out, so hope you stick around~**

******Also, we've been getting some really sweet reviews and PMs so apparently people are still finding out about this story. We really, really hope you continue to stick with this story! **

* * *

As we rendezvous with transport, everyone climbs into the car with heavy tension. No one was pointing fingers, but the air seemed to solidify near Aiden, who hasn't spoken a word since his freeze. The other boys stare out the window and the risen sun, their faces an interesting mix of anger and confusion. After a minute, Erika clears her throat.

"Ears?" Her voice breaks the silence, the slightest bit hoarse from disuse. She used the safe word we used as trainees, the words we used to make sure we couldn't be heard, or to make sure we were all listening.  
"What?" Tyler's voice asked, slightly irritated. He eyed her warily as an unspoken thought ran through our minds; there was nothing to be said.  
"Listen...," she says tentatively, "today wasn't a total loss."  
Jake interrupts her off too quickly, eyes already narrowed.  
"What do you mean, Erika? We failed. It took all eight of us and we still couldn't do it. I mean, what are we going to tell Abby? Solomon?" His voice rises unconsciously.  
Lena puts a warning hand on his shoulder, quick as lightning. She flashes her eyes in Aiden's direction, giving Jake an unspoken caution sign.  
He sighs deeply and squeezes his eyes shut. "I'm not saying it was anyone's fault. I'm just saying that we were sloppy. We were just amateurs! We weren't a team out there, guys. And-"  
Out of nowhere, Erika reaches her hand in her jacket, quick as a flash, and chucks something at Jake so fast it took awhile to register what is was. Flashing back to memory, I remember the subject racing towards the clock tower and bumping into a girl the the crowd. A girl that I thought looked familiar.  
We all stare, stunned at the worn leather object resting at Jake's feet and glance at Erika, who is now giving Jake a hard glare.  
"We are going to tell Abby and Solomon we were successful. And we are _not_ amateurs, Jake."

* * *

As soon as we stepped foot in the house we were greeted by an impatient Abby, sitting statuesquely by the kitchen counter. Her pale face stood in stark contrast with her dark hair, shiny and still untainted from white.  
As soon as she saw Abby's distant look, Remy's triumphant grin, like the rest of ours, quickly diminishes.  
"Is everything okay, Abby?" she asks cautiously.  
"We completed the mission." Tyler adds.  
"That's great," Abby's distant look fades as she quickly throws a poker face on. "Listen kiddos," She says, and I already start to feel my blood freeze, "something's happened and people need me right now- Joe's already waiting for me - anyway, they're sending new mentors, and you'll be continuing your assignments, but Joe and I won't be here anymore." She smiles at us apologetically. Like her words promised, she fluidly rose to leave and I could see the impatience etched in her eyes.  
"So... are you just leaving?" I venture quietly.  
Her unlined face creased with worry. "You'll be in good hands, Ellie. All of you. You'll be fine." With a last reassuring smile, she swept through the door which we just entered.  
"Did we just get ditched?" Tyler blurts out crudely.  
None of us really know the answer to that as we watch the unmarked van drive off the very road where we left this morning.  
Suddenly gaining mobility, Aiden brushes past Jake and strides into the boys' bedroom, closing the door shut. I taste blood faintly and realize that I've been biting my lip unconsciously the entire time.  
"Ellie..." Tyler trails, passing a look of understanding to everyone, "I think you should go talk to him."  
His words are like a zap of electricity jolting me awake from today's daze.  
"Me? Why me?" I hear my own voice, squeaking like a rusty door hinge from disuse. I clear my throat uncomfortable again, eyes trained to the floor. Erika answers my question with a taut, tight-lipped smile. "It'd just be best if you did. Just make sure he's alright, okay?"  
"Okay," I hear myself respond robotically, finding myself at the door in a daze.  
"Aiden?" I knock once, then twice. Grimacing internally, I swing the door open and enter, finding Aiden on one of the twin beds.  
He look haphazard, as if he threw himself on the bed without a care. One arm was thrown over his eyes, but I could tell they were already closed. Treading softly, I perched on the end of the bed lightly and quietly as possible.  
"Aiden," I tried to make my voice light and soothing, like my mother's. Judging by Aiden's unresponsiveness, I couldn't tell if I was succeeding. Very reassuring.  
"You know," I continued, staring at the blue walls of the bedroom, "no one on the team blames you right? I mean, it could've happened to anyone. Even Jake feels bad, 'cause he sent me here to make sure you're okay."  
Knowing that would get a response, I bit the urge to cheer as he slowly lifted the arm and opened his hazel eyes to look at me.  
"No, he didn't."  
My eyebrows shot up, surprised that he could see through my lie so easily.  
"Your pause before his name." He answered my unsaid question.  
I sighed in defeat and plopped onto the bed backwards next to him, staring at the ceiling. My eyes started roaming the ceiling, tracing the invisible constellations in the cracks.  
"No faith in him, huh?" I chuckled. "He does feel bad, I can tell." I quickly rush, not wanting an answer, "He's just... a hothead sometimes, you know? Jake just needs to cool off."  
I turned my head to face him, inhaling the smell of detergent off the sheets. His eyes were squeezed shut again, his pale eyelashes framing his closed eyes.  
"I just keep replaying it in my head." He groans. He opens his eyes and his hand steals up to his hair, which he combs through roughly, disheveling it even more. "I mean, what kind of spy does that?! And what if it happens again? What would've happened if any of you had gotten hurt because of me? Oh god, I should've taken the backup when Jake asked."  
"Hey." I lock eyes with him, gently pulling his hand out of his hair before he rips it all out. "What happened today was a fluke, Aiden. I've never seen you like that before. It was the first mission right? I'm sure you were just nervous."  
He grimaced, twisting his mouth nervously. "You think so?"  
"I know so." I smiled, hoping I sounded reassuring. Reaching my hand tentatively, I tousled his hair lightly so fall back in place, like Liz had done for me so many times before.  
"You'll be fine."  
Suddenly, door bursts open and Jake's head pokes in with a wide smile that I haven't seen in awhile.  
With a jolt, I quickly scrambled in standing position, awkwardly fixing my clothes and feeling guilty for an unknown reason.  
"Jake! What are you doing?" I exclaim, trying I dig myself out of this hole I've fallen into. "I mean," amending, quickly, "what are you doing here?"  
"They came." He said smoothly, only looking at Aiden. "It's Mchenry and Baxter. Aid, If you feel up to it, everyone's in the kitchen."  
"Yeah. Maybe I will, thanks." Aiden's good-naturedness seems to return, and exits the room after he shoots a small smile at me.  
I quickly drop my eyes to the floor as he passes and wait until he leaves, each of his steps taking eternities. Lifting my eyes, Jake's position has changed, his arms now crossed in front of his chest and his eyebrows lifted, waiting for me to explain.  
"Jake," I sighed, "it's not like that, okay?"  
"Oh, my god Ellie." I wince at his exasperated voice. "What are you doing?"  
The look of disbelief on his face made his green eyes expand, making me subject to their judgement.  
My eyes narrow in retaliation.  
"What do you mean, what am I _doing_? I am doing nothing wrong!"  
He exhales through his nose angrily, clearly frustrated. "Ellie, are you blind? Seriously, because I think you are."  
I laugh out of shock, not expecting that coming. "_I'm _the blind one? Jake, I think you need to take a class called self-realization with a teacher called hypocrisy- and why do I feel like you're antagonizing me?" I raise my eyebrows in question, ignoring the feverish feeling sticking on my skin.  
"Ellie," the insistent tone of his voice takes me off guard, and I find myself looking into his eyes, which are confusingly not angry anymore. His voice made of something softer now, like linen.  
_"Don't fall for it, Ellie." _A voice in my head whispers, the echoes bouncing all through my skull.  
"I'm not attacking you, okay, Ellie? I'm just... concerned is all."  
"Okay," I tread softly, as if I'm dancing blindfolded into a minefield. "But I can take care of myself Jake. I've grown up too."  
"Yeah," he chuckles softly, "I keep forgetting that. But I won't anymore. Especially because of what happened this morning."  
I hear the footsteps this time, coming nearer from the end of the hall. Macey's silhouette drew closer, etched by shadows of the already setting sun.  
"Sutton, Adams," She grins, greeting us. She looks almost the same as the last time I remember, but her hair is longer, and her eyes are swifter, more calculating. In the last second, I didn't have a doubt that she did a thorough analysis of me, down to the number of hairs I grew on my head.  
"Hi, Macey." I smile back, "Where's Liz?"  
"Milan," she answers smoothly, "or was it Mali? Anyway, we need you guys in the kitchen, stat." She points in the direction with such authority that I half- expected her to make us march.  
"Yes, ma'am!" Jake grins and fake salutes.  
Macey rolls her eyes, but I could tell she wants to laugh too.  
"Boys."  
Like a weight being lifted off my shoulders, I laugh freely, and the only thing I could do is agree.

* * *

As we enter the kitchen, Erika catches my eye over the various mountains of food gathered from the pantry and sends me a questioning look.  
I shake my head a fraction. _Later,_ I mouth quickly.  
"So," Tyler mumbles between mouthfulls of food, "we kinda wanna know what's going on, if that's okay?"  
Bex grimaces delicately and wrinkles her nose. "Chew, love."  
"But really though," Jake persists, covering for Tyler, "Abby left us without notice. That kind of thing doesn't happen unless something bad happens, right?"  
Macey sighs, suddenly seeming defeated and shares a strange glance with Bex.  
"Yes, sherlock, something has happened," She pauses to take a chip from Tyler's mounainous pile. "The plan's changed. Again."  
"We're going to take you back to Gallagher tomorrow. All of you."  
My eyes burn from being open for so long, and water once I blink them fiercely.  
"But what about the whole team thing?" Lena asks.  
"It's more than that now," Macey sighs, and pinches the skin between her blue eyes.  
"Then what is it?" Tyler asks, mouth now empty of food. "You're kind of keeping us in the dark here."  
"He's right." Bex frowns and nods at Macey mysteriously.  
Macey bites her lip but opens her mouth, all of us watching her intently.  
"Gallagher girls have been disappearing. So this week, four have turned out to be missing, and that's four more than there should be. It's too much of a coincidence to be separate attacks."  
My heart constricts, squeezing my breath. I can feel the atmosphere in the room drop until the silence is deafening. The room is spinning and a single thought weaves through all my thoughts; _How can Gallagher girls go _missing_? _  
"Oh, my god." Erika breathes. "Do they know who's doing this?"  
"See, that's the thing." Macey says, her piercing blue gaze on us, "They think that the circle is back. And they have new motive."


End file.
